He was entirely unused to being at such a loose end. Achilleas had woken that morning with no obligations; no demands upon his time, nothing. Nothing to do.

It was not a situation of his own design.

Still, as he had opened his eyes to the first fingers of light heralding dawn he had tried to push aside the frustration of it and instead focus upon the luxury of freedom, a thing that often seemed elusive to first born son of his father. And it was his father who was so keen to have him do nothing, so Achilleas thought to ensure he did as he was told, this time. He did not need to be awake for anything, and so he had rolled over and gone back to sleep. And then done the same again, and again, until the morning had all but gone, the room had grown too bright and he had sat up, foggy headed and thirsty.

He had bathed- slowly -and dressed -slowly -and eaten a breakfast so late that it seemed more akin to lunch. He’d picked up a book then, propped himself in the courtyard and attempted to read, to enjoy the quiet. It was hot though, and he found that his thoughts wandered to other things. Things like the discussion he’d had with Emilios the day before, the situation at the Palati that he could not see his way through no matter which angle he considered it from. And in the end he had snapped the book shut with a sigh, given up on the pretence of paying any attention to it.

He felt restless, irritable, and it been but half a day. Perhaps it was just the fact that he had not chosen it, this reprieve from duty. Or he was just so used to being occupied that he was at sea without the routine that usually structured his days. Either way, Achilleas needed to do something and so he turned to the familiar, a thing that even his father’s petty edicts could not take from him.

He fought.

Finding a reluctant volunteer in one of his own men - the sun was high and unforgiving after all - the warrior had foregone the sword this time, choosing instead spear and shield. The soldier had joked that he might yet stand a chance with his general not wielding his preferred weapon, and Achilleas had smiled, shown bright white teeth. “Let us see,then”

As the bout commenced there was no more smiles though, just a flurry of movement, a careful dance where the steps were learned only from watching the other for weakness. The spears were not tipped but would still leave a bruise if strikes were not measured, and so defence became as important as attack and the dull thud of shaft upon shield soon echoed off stone.

Achilleas felt himself relax into the pattern of it, for this was known and certain and there was no time to overthink. It was just reflex, and the spear cut through the air again and again as he sought to exploit the holes in his opponents defence.

Absorbed then in the spar, the Lord Mikaelidas did not note the spectator’s arrival until his opponent’s eyes flickered up and over his shoulder, and even then, the general capitalised on the momentary distraction to plant the heft of his spear into the soldiers gut, hard enough to wind. It would have been a fatal blow.

Tossing aside the spear, Achilleas had laid a hand upon the shoulder of the man now bent at the waist and he murmured something indistinct and laughed before the clearing of a throat had him turn.

“Theodora?” There was a confused sort of surprise upon his face for a moment before Achilleas replaced it with a smile. “ I was not expecting you...was I? He was quietly hoping he had not forgotten some plans again as he set down the shield and accepted a damp cloth from the servant who had accompanied Theodora outside, wiping it over his face and hands, before he approached.

He’d shed his shirt before the bout so stood before in nothing more than a pair of simple trousers. Damp with sweat from the exertion of sparring, he did not reach to embrace her as he might have done but instead he flipped the cloth over his shoulder and stood hand on hips, looking at her expectantly.

Blue eyes wandered rather lazily over her, more familiar now, as if he had given himself leave to appreciate her unashamedly after their last encounter. It was good to see her, he thought, and more encouraging still that she had sought him out,whatever the reason.

“ Is this a purely social visit or…”

We need to talk

Achilleas’ brows rose at the tone Theodora employed, and the almost combatative set to her shoulders. The smile faded slowly away, and he followed her eyes, glancing at the recovering soldier and the servant who stood unobtrusively nearby.

Privately

His head snapped back to look at his betrothed then, concern and irritation vying for dominance in the gaze that settled upon her. With no context to her sudden appearance, and with the demanding nature of her address, Achilleas was a little alarmed. Was something wrong? Had he offended her somehow?. But he also found he did not much like being spoken to in such a way in his own home, in front of staff and soldiers that he commanded. His featured hardened a little at the jerk of her head, and his voice when it came was a little cool. “Very well.”

He motioned to the servant who came over and hovered in between the two of them.

“ Take the Lady Leventi to my study if you will. Give me a moment and I will join you there” Achilleas had directed the latter towards Theodora. He was sweaty and underdressed, and wanted a moment to put himself back together properly before they talked, whatever it was concerning.

And so Theodora was led back inside the manor, through the cooler hallways to the chambers that Achilleas laid claim to whenever he was in residence.

“Please, my Lady” The man servant led his charge into a room off of the main hallway, and then quietly closed the door behind her, leaving her alone in what was clearly Achilleas’ private office. The study, as she might have expected given the man she was coming to know, was neat and organised. The papers that were on the desk were precisely laid out, clearly some manner of prioritising in place, and the half-finished missive she could see was written in an elegant and precise script. In fact, the only thing out of order in the entire room was a paperweight that had somehow found itself on the floor opposite the desk. Odd.

In the courtyard, Achilleas dismissed the his sparring partner, before returning to his own rooms. He hastily washed and dressed, finding himself hurrying even in his annoyance at the way she had spoken to him. What if something had happened? His mind was running through possible scenarios as he straightened his clothes and swept a hand through his hair. For the life of him, he could not think of anything he had done that would prompt such a visit, unless he had forgotten another engagement. But she had said not. Which left him wondering if it were to do with her family, or the wedding or….

He realised there was little point trying to guess when he might find out from Theodora herself, and so, pausing only to take a drink - the heat and the efforts outside had left him parched- he strode down the hall to his study and pushed open the door, wanting to know what prompted his betrothed’s rather graceless arrival.

Inside, Achilleas did not place the desk between them, but stood facing Theodora, a little uncertain as to how to handle her until he knew if her agitation was directed at him or not.

“ Well?” he prompted after a moment. “What is it, Theo? Is something wrong?”

As he found himself addressing Theodora’s back, Achilleas had frowned. He was not much taken with this mood she had seemingly brought with her. She did not answer him right away either, and he was about to take a step toward her, perhaps reach out when she finally responded and he paused.

“Oh?” His first thought, in the rather chaotic jumble that he was sorting through, was that it was the baby, that something had gone wrong and he felt his stomach plummet. But Theodora was saying more and it did not seem to suggest that, so Achilleas found himself listening and trying to make sense of what she was telling him.

Olympia had been scared of Theo? He could hardly imagine such a thing, but then the past days had been trying, and she must be concerned about her future if Stephanos was proven to be guilty of the charges made against him. And he could hear echoes of the suspicion rolling off the King when they had last met in what Theo said next. Refusing food seemed suitably dramatic.

“Its bound to be upsetting for them” he said after a moment, as she left a pause that suggested she expected some kind of response. “ And for you too. I’m sure Olympia was glad of the visit - I know she dislikes being confined”

They had talked about it - albeit her milder confinement- when he had run into her at the Palati only a few days ago. He had been glad then to offer her the small reprieve of a walk in the gardens, with little idea as to how things would change so dramatically in the coming days. He did not like the thought of either his cousin or Theodora’s sister being under house arrest, but the senate had spoken, and he knew that processes had to be followed now.

What Achilleas was not certain of was what Theodora was expecting of him. Was she just seeking comfort for herself? He took the couple of steps forward needed to be able to reach for her and placed a warm hand upon her shoulder. “ It will not be long I am sure before the matter is brought to trial” Achilleas offered next, though he was not so certain that was reassuring. If nothing else, the past weeks had taught him that he could not second guess what would happen in Taengea at the moment, much was up in the air and uncertain.

He could hear the dissatisfaction in her voice, could see the tension in her shoulders as she replied, and Achilleas considered what else might ease her, given that his attempts at consolation did not seem to be helping. There was not much he could say on the matter - wheels had been put in motion that could not be reversed, he had made his doubt known at the senate meeting and it had not been enough to sway the course of events. He had sympathy for the plight that Stephanos and Olympia found themselves in, and he could share in Theodora’s concern for them, but there was nothing he could do.

When she turned to face him, Achilleas met her gaze, trying to keep the exasperation he felt off his face. He could only surpress a sigh when she stated her belief that Stephanos was innocent, for it was irrelevant what they thought now. Things were beyond that.

“ Whatever you or I think will not change anything .” he began, but then stopped, gaze widening a fraction as she went on. He moved away then, cast a glance down the hall and pushed the door closed. He shot her a look as he came back inside. “ Be careful what you say here” he said, his tone a little sharp. Whether she meant the implication or not, she was beyond naive if she thought such talk wouldn't get back to his father if she spoke such things in the man's own house.

And despite his own misgivings, despite the doubt that was creeping into his own beliefs, Achilleas did not much like others pointing the finger at his father. There was too much to be lost if such a thing was true, he wouldn’t let himself believe it.

Theodora’s expression was set and stubborn, and Achilleas frowned, giving the tiniest shake of his head at the news that the King and Queen were not faring well under their restrictions.

“ I am sorry to hear that, Theo, believe me I am, but I’m not sure what you expect me to do about it? If Stephanos had not reacted as he did, if he had not flown off the handle then perhaps the terms of his confinement might have been argued , but he attacked my father in front of the entire senate, Theo! Anyone has a case to argue that he is a danger now…. they will just have to wait it out and let the dust settle, then Stephanos can defend himself to the court at trial.”

He went to pull her close against him, giving what little comfort he could. If he had not felt so disloyal in doing so, he would’ve told her that he didn’t agree with it either, the way any of it had been handled, but how could he? He had just received an unsubtle reminder of the sway his father held over his life, and he would not speak the thoughts that gave him such unease.

“Are you not?” he replied curtly, as he moved over to draw the shutters over the window too. He felt a little paranoid there now, knowing he was already in Irakles bad graces, and he did not know which of the servants he completely trusted. Nor did he want Theodora to earn his father’s dislike, though he seemed to bestow it sparingly on others. At least to their faces.

Moving back to her, he sighed. “ Of course I would be. But the Senate is not run on punches and curses Theo, and Stephanos knows this. Whether he did anything or not, he played right into the hands of m..those who wanted this very outcome by losing control like that.” Almost. Almost he had slipped up, but Achilleas ignored it and kept going, just avoiding rolling his eyes at the poison comment. “ Again I will tell you, watch your mouth Theodora. You can’t go around making such accusations with no grounding. Stephanos and Olympia have not been poisoned thus far have they? And they have been living in the same place, being served the same food that is likely being offered to them now. It is fear, that is all.”

Taking her into his arms, he breathed deeply, tried to shake off the tension. It felt a lot like they were almost fighting and he wasn’t sure he liked it. Thinking the fact that she had not pulled away was a good sign, he was unprepared then for the derision that rode her voice as she spoke.

Achilleas drew back, looked down at her and frowned. “ I cannot” he said with a shake of his head. “Its not my place to question it. The senate decided, now the rules must be followed.”

And there was a wry shake of his head and a half laugh at the suggestion that perhaps his father might have been manipulated into believing what he did. “ You do not know him” he said, meeting her gaze. “ If you did, you would understand the foolishness of that line of thought”

His expression softened though as she dropped her gaze, and Achilleas leaned forward to press a kiss to her forehead. “ I’m sorry. I would help if I could, you know this. We must all stand by now and let this run its course. You can be there for your sister whilst that happens.”

He did not lie. From his position, Achilleas could see no way for him to change things, and so considered the matter closed.

Achilleas looked mildy pained. By the Gods she was nothing if not tenacious, and he found himself drawing a long slow breath in through his nose as she narrowed her gaze at him. His own temper was beginning to smoulder.

“What would you have me do then, Theodora? Shall i go into the Palati and break them out myself?”

It was as reasonable a comment as those it was in response to, and the man pulled away, scrubbing a hand over his face. He could not have been more glad then, when in the next minute his words seemed to break through, to reach her. There was light at the end of the tunnel, and he thought he had won, that she was pacified. The kiss was supposed to solidify that.

Only then, Achilleas’ inexperience in arguing with women came to the fore. He heard the dejected ‘I see’, and watched as the woman he loved drew back, became remote and cool.

He panicked.

“Wait” His frustration was evident, the word falling sharp and short between them, spoken by one used to giving orders and having them obeyed. Achilleas held his hands up as if trying to soothe a startled animal. He couldn’t let her leave like this, and he grit his teeth a moment, feeling backed into a corner that he had wanted to avoid.

“ Just...let me try and explain.” he said, a little wearily. Achilleas caught a hold of one of Theodora’s hands again so she would not slip away, and he shook his head, was silent for a little while as he decided what he might say.

“ I do understand, Theo. I do. There is just no way I can raise this with my father. Already he is throwing his weight around, and I cannot afford to antagonise him. We cannot afford for me to antagonise him.”

His lips pressed together in a grim line and he looked away, trying to maintain some semblance of composure as he went on. “He was less than pleased that I did not vote to impose the sentence your sister and Stephanos are under. We have not spoken since and has already relieved me of some of my responsibilities. So you will see, I am not really best positioned to be trying to beg pardon for my cousin or your sister.”

He forced his gaze back to meet hers, a thin smile counterpoint to the annoyance -and was that embarrassment? - that showed in his eyes. “ Anything else, Theo, I would give you, and gladly. But I cannot help with this. You can understand that, can’t you?”

Dipping his head so she could not avoid his eyes, he looked strangely vulnerable for a moment, waiting on her to relent. Though this situation was not tenable for anyone, Achilleas felt particularly caught between two currents.Neither seemed to offer sanctuary and so he had just resolved to let them carry him along whilst he kept his head down and tried to stay afloat. But the woman in front of him was making that proposition hard.

He had been hoping she would accept his words, see that he was in an impossible position and that they could draw a line under the conversation. And it seemed his wish was to be granted, for there was no further arguing, no more insistence. Instead, Achilleas found himself suddenly with his arms full of Theodora, her face pressed into his chest and her body shaking with sobs. Instinctively he folded his arms around her, but beyond that the man was at a bit of a loss as how to handle this sudden shift in her emotions.

Had she not just been raging at him?

But there was no fire in her now, just tears it would seem, tears he could feel soaking through the thin fabric of his clothes. He patted her back absently, arms tightening about her as she apologised.

“You are worried for your family” he said placatingly. “You have nothing to be sorry for”. Not strictly true he considered silently, thinking back to her attitude of earlier. She had been bordering on rude, and he did not much care for it. ‘Passionate’ Stephanos had said of the Leventi women, and as Achilleas held the crying Theodora, he wondered if this was what he had meant.

It galled him that he could not allay her fears, that he could do essentially nothing. That was how he managed things- he did. And he could not do anything here and so was left with an overwrought woman and no idea how he was supposed to fix it. Did he just stand here and let her cry herself out? Would she be calm then, or was there going to be another new side to Theodora that he would have to accustom himself to?

Achilleas had long been taught that such a blatant show of emotion was weakness. One’s ability to remain impassive was as much part of armour as greaves or breastplate. He managed it most of the time, save for the occasional slip up involving paper weights, so this..this was interesting. Women were a law unto themselves it would seem. Tentatively, he stroked a hand over Theodora’s hair, cupped her face as he drew back just far enough to see her. Her eyes were reddened and teary still,and he cringed a little at what people would think if she left his quarters in such a state.

“Can I get you anything? Water?” Your lady’s maid? he wanted to ask but did not, judging that perhaps expectations upon him in this situation were probably higher than that. She was to be his wife after all. Without waiting for an answer, he unentangled himself from her and walked over to the pitcher of water that sat upon the desk, poured some into a small bronze cup and offered it to her, watching her a little warily as if he wasn’t sure if she would throw it at him, or start crying again.